Adam's thoughts on Teva Games

Every year during the first weekend in June, the Teva Mountain Games come to Vail. This year promised to be bigger and better with the addition of the World Cup event taking placing. This was the first time in 20 years that a World Cup has come to the states. I competed in the citizen’s competition and the speed bouldering comps. On Saturday morning I made the drive up to Vail to compete and see what this year would bring. In years past there has been 3 inches of snow and then a bright sunny day the next minute. This year the weather held up and the comp had nice sunny weather. The wall this year was changed from the familiar mushroom boulder to the World Cup wall. Eight sections of varying terrain from vertical to intense overhangs. They limited the registration to avoid long lines and ensure people would be able to climb, since they had to run a tight ship for the World Cup in the afternoon. Everything was going great then the plan to avoid long lines to get on a climb failed. Climbs crossed onto other sections and people were forced to wait even longer. Eight judges for each of the sections with 32 problems spread out along the wall. There were 132 competitors and most only got 8-10 climbs in in the three hours. It was a problem to say the least. You did not have time to warm up and usually only got one try maybe two on a given problem. On the bright side, the wall was amazing. The problems were some of the best that I have seen from a comp in a long time. One problem on the overhang section started on a big feature with two crimps then a dyno to a split jug then some moves followed on slopey crimps into a cross for a good crimp, then a few crimps tackled the head wall before latching the final jug. On the far left slightly overhanging section, a problem started on a slopey pinch and a big jump up to a climb it sandstone hold. You then swung your foot over and rocked over to a bad pinch. Followed by a hard move to come into a another pinch for the left hand. You then brought your foot up to the sandstone hole and went to another sandstone hold. You had to adjust your hand and do a big dyno move to the finishing jug. I managed to do the big jump move as static as possible by locking that sandstone hold off for as long as possible before the final leap of faith to the jug. They also left two problems up from the World Cup Qualifier to test people’s skills.Hopefully next year they get the wall situation settled and more climbing can take place.